Quote:
Originally Posted by tuccillo
Depending on how many zones are calling, you may need different capacity. If you are only calling for dehumidification you may want lower compressor capacity and air flow. Carrier doesn’t agree with you because their Infinity systems have variable speed compressors and air handlers. I had their system for 10 years in a ranch - worked great. It ran at half speed (back when they were using the 2 speed Bristol compressors) most of the time but did kick into full speed for a while each afternoon in the summer. The air handler changed speeds quite frequently as zones opened and closed through the day to maintain temperatures. One of the goals is to have the system running continuously and a variable speed compressor makes this more likely. Cycling is hard on equipment and inefficient. The same principle holds with the mini-split on my lanai. The compressor can run anywhere from 25 to 100% of its nominal capacity. As such, the compressor doesn’t cycle hardly at all.
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I think that if Carrier only sold variable speed compressors, they would go out of business. The majority of the Carrier units in The Villages are single stage compressors. One reason that I prefer them is that you can usually get them repaired immediately because parts are readily available. I would also point out that a compressor that runs at a lower speed is not necessarily more efficient, especially if is not programmed correctly to take advantage of a reduced speed. Variable speed compressors have been available for many years, but they still lag in sales way behind the single stage compressor. Most of the time, in The Villages, you want to AC unit running full blast.